Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A few things to look for at Charlotte's men's basketball exhibition Tuesday against Newberry:

Backcourt rotation: The 49ers have loads of backcourt depth, and there will be any number of combinations coach Alan Major can play with. Get used to seeing senior point guard Pierria Henry and Florida-transfer Braxton Ogbueze on the court together. How they mesh will be a factor in how the 49ers' season plays out. This will be their one season together, with Ogbueze poised to take over Henry's role over the next few years. With the losses of Denzel Ingram and Shawn Lester, freshmen Keyshawn Woods and Torin Dorn figure to be part of the equation -- especially Woods, who might make people forget about the loss of Lester pretty quickly.

From long distance: Ingram and Ben Cherry were two of Conference USA's top 3-point shooters last season. At least two players from the guard group will need to fill that void. Henry (31.6 percent) and Terrence Williams (28.1) have never been reliable outside shooters. Ivan Benkovic showed promise two seasons ago, but he's likely going to be rusty after missing last season with a back injury.

Big and small: The 49ers will have the option of going big -- with 6-11 center Mike Thorne, 6-8 power forward Willie Clayton and 6-8 Bernard Sullivan in the front court; or small, with Clayton, Sullivan and perhaps Williams, Henry and Ogbueze in the backcourt. That smaller group is more in tune to Conference USA's style of play. But Thorne, if he continues his development, can be a significant factor for the 49ers in the post.

Last season's worries: Can the 49ers take better care of the ball (they averaged 14.7 turnovers and shoot free throws better (64.8 percent)? Clayton in particular struggled from the line, making 49.4 percent. Major said those issues have been worked on in the offseason. Now it's time to start finding out.